Katie Couric's Notebook: Teaching English
Hi, everyone.
Should English be America's official language?
So far, 28 states have passed laws making it so.
But there's a big problem. There just aren't enough teachers to help immigrants learn the language.
More immigrants are settling in suburbs -- and sometimes have to wait MONTHS for an opening in an English class. A survey last year found the wait stretched to two YEARS in New Mexico and Massachusetts.
If communities are going to make English the official language, they need to help new residents learn it. Right now, government funding for classes is sporadic, and varies from state to state. Lamar Alexander, the former education secretary, put it simply: "If we make it easier, people will learn English," he said, adding that the government needs to make it a priority and provide adequate funding.
That makes sense -- in any language.
That's a page from my notebook.
Video: Should English be America's official language?
So far, 28 states have passed laws making it so.
But there's a big problem. There just aren't enough teachers to help immigrants learn the language.
More immigrants are settling in suburbs -- and sometimes have to wait MONTHS for an opening in an English class. A survey last year found the wait stretched to two YEARS in New Mexico and Massachusetts.
If communities are going to make English the official language, they need to help new residents learn it. Right now, government funding for classes is sporadic, and varies from state to state. Lamar Alexander, the former education secretary, put it simply: "If we make it easier, people will learn English," he said, adding that the government needs to make it a priority and provide adequate funding.
That makes sense -- in any language.
That's a page from my notebook.
I immigrated to this country from Cuba at the tender age of 10. Like many immigrants, I identify with this country and its culture, which I have adopted to be mine. I love this country and respect it for what it is and for what it helps us achieve. I am now an accomplished and succesful physician. My brother is a Mechanical Engineer working for NASA.
Although it was easy to speak Spanish ( and thanks to my parents, we are fluent in Spanish also), I believe that ENGLISH should remain the official language of this great nation. I dont believe that by keeping english as the official language casts any disrespect to all the other cultures that make this country the great melting pot it is. Just think, if you are visiting someone, you are likely to respect their rules and way of life. It is rude, disrespectful to try and impose our way of life on to someone else, we wouldn't like it if it happened to us.
In my community we have found an easier way to solve the teacher shortage: we have started an Saturday ESL class. The class is being taught by college students going for their education degree and also by retired school teachers.
It works!
Thank you for your notebook entry! I work for a non-profit language school in Pennsylvania and we have ESL classes all year. We are primarily funded by the PA Department of Education and we found out last week that we are receiving a 20% funding reduction in the upcoming year! Isn't that incredible?!?!
It's a shame that people in other states have to wait for months to receive English classes. We provide them all year, with no waiting lists, but with the funding cuts, who knows for how long! It's nice to see that someone with your stature cares about this issue! Thank you very much. I enjoy watching you when I can!
Respectfully submitted.
I'm also tired of giving these people welfare and any other aid that we give to the poor that are citizens of this country.
YES,YES!! THAT'S IT!! THAT'S IT!! That is what I was trying to say! We, who speak English as a first language, need REMEDIAL!!Thank you, Eric! I'm also astounded to learn that ONLY 28 states have passed laws making English America's official language! What is going on??
Remember what Professor Higgins said in "My Fair Lady!" Music and Lyrics by Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner:
"One common language I'm afraid we'll never get.
Oh, why can't the English learn to set
A good example to people whose
English is painful to your ears?
The_______________(fill in the blank)and the ____________(fill in the blank) leave you close to tears,
There are even places where English completely disappears. In America, they haven't used it for years!"
And remember"The Rain in Spain stays mostly on the Plain !"
PS:
I also agree with Peter (in a totally non-racial sense). I believe he was, in his "own" way, saying that some of us who speak English as a FIRST language need some
REMEDIAL!
You can catch a lot of MY shortcomings with the English language when I don't check my blog entries well enough (which is OFTEN!)...
:)
Eric
If you think it is hard to get general immigrants to learn English, how hard do you think it is to get prisoners to?
A "forgotten group" are alien inmates. New, strict federal ESL guidelines make it nearly impossible to allow them to take a Spanish-language GED examination, even if they are not being released to the U.S. and they are fully ready to pass the Spanish language GED exam!
ESL teachers are needed everywhere, you are right about that. An isolationist approach is just sure to leave a generation behind and create another crime rate increase.
Eric
"Oui,oui", "si,si", "ja,ja", "da,da"
"tahk,tahk", "yes, yes" : English should
be America's official language!
- by stephcate April 2, 2007 5:47 PM EDT
- Just one question.... why should this be so? Why should English speaking taxpayers have to foot the bill for immigrants who want to come and make their lives here? If I were to move to Italy, I certainly would not expect the Italian government to take the resposibility of making sure I know how to speak their language. And I certainly would not just expect every Italian to be able to speak English to me either. It is a matter of respect for the country you are moving to and its language. If you want to live and thrive in America... GREAT! But you're going to have to take the initiative yourself to learn the language! That makes sense to me.
- Reply to this comment
See all 11 Comments